3D printed tool used to install wiring in Airbus A380 camera case, produced using Stratasys'Fortus 450mc Production 3D Printer (Photo: Business Wire)

Faced with lengthy lead-times and costly design iterations, Latécoère –
which services aerospace giants including Airbus, Bombardier and
Dassault – is using its Stratasys Fortus 450mc Production 3D Printer for
both rapid prototyping and production tooling. According to Simon Rieu,
Composite and Additive Manufacturing Manager at Latécoère’s R&D and
Innovation Center, the adoption of this technology has been
transformational for both design and manufacturing.

“Additive manufacturing has integrated seamlessly into our design and
production process, and has seen us enjoy improved lead-times, reduced
costs and enhanced operational efficiency,” he says. “As the
requirements of the aerospace industry become more demanding, we’re also
mindful of the need to maintain our competitive edge, and Stratasys
additive manufacturing enables us to meet that objective.”

Accelerating Design Validation

Traditionally, the company uses CNC machining for rapid prototyping, but
this has presented limitations. “We recently produced a 3D printed
prototype to verify the fit and function of a part for the interior
lining of an aircraft door,” explains Rieu. “Previously, this would have
been made from sheet metal – an often-time-consuming process. With our
Fortus 450mc 3D Printer, we produced a fully-functional prototype in two
days, reducing our lead times by a staggering 95%. Crucially this has
accelerated our design validation process before committing to costly
and time-consuming tooling.”

Latécoère recently 3D printed a prototype camera case for the Airbus
A380 aircraft for design validation with the camera’s internal parts
housed inside. Prior to Stratasys FDM 3D additive manufacturing, the
team would have been forced to directly manufacture an aluminum camera
case for testing, with any design iterations proving costly. Using ULTEM
9085 material, the 3D printed prototype is also 50% lighter than its
metal counterpart, enabling more efficient functional part testing.

Enhancing production tooling

The company is also utilizing its Fortus 450mc 3D Printer for the
on-demand manufacture of customized production tools. This has not only
seen significant reductions in time and cost, but also enhanced operator
efficiency.

“Using metal sheet manufacturing, creating a tool can take up to six
weeks. Now we can 3D print a tool in just two days and 50% lighter using
ULTEM 9085 material,” says Rieu. “With our 3D printer, we can also
optimize the geometry of the tool to perfectly fit the part – making the
operator’s job much easier. Not only has this accelerated our production
process dramatically, but I also estimate that we’ve reduced our tool
production costs by a massive 40%.”

Final flight-ready 3D printed production parts

Looking ahead, Latécoère’s long-term strategy is to 3D print final
production parts for next generation airplanes from the likes of Airbus,
Boeing, and other leading aircraft manufacturers. Indeed, the company
has already begun exploring the potential to utilize its Fortus 450mc to
produce final interior aircraft parts with certification in mind. Using
Stratasys’ tough, lightweight and FST compliant ULTEM 9085 material, the
team has 3D printed various air duct housing components, which has seen
significant weight reductions and time savings compared to traditional
production methods.

Andy Middleton, President of EMEA, Stratasys, concludes, “Latécoère,
like many of our aerospace customers, are benefiting from our proven FDM
technology and high-performance materials for this industry. Our
application-driven approach enables us to have a close interface with
our customers to develop solutions optimized for their design and
production processes. Whether it’s accelerating design validation or the
on-demand production of lightweight manufacturing tools, or even 3D
printed interior aircraft parts, we are committed to ensuring our
customers are given the right tools to optimize the use of additive
manufacturing.”

About Stratasys

Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) is a global leader in applied additive
technology solutions for industries including Aerospace, Automotive,
Healthcare, Consumer Products and Education. For nearly 30 years, a deep
and ongoing focus on customers’ business requirements has fueled
purposeful innovations—1,200 granted and pending additive technology
patents to date—that create new value across product lifecycle
processes, from design prototypes to manufacturing tools and final
production parts. The Stratasys 3D printing ecosystem of solutions and
expertise—advanced materials; software with voxel level control;
precise, repeatable and reliable FDM and PolyJet 3D printers;
application-based expert services; on-demand parts and industry-defining
partnerships—works to ensure seamless integration into each customer’s
evolving workflow. Fulfilling the real-world potential of additive,
Stratasys delivers breakthrough industry-specific applications that
accelerate business processes, optimize value chains and drive business
performance improvements for thousands of future-ready leaders around
the world.

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